Mechanical toy imitating a calculating horse



Nuv. S, 1938; 2,135,783 MECHANICAL TOY IMITATING A CALCULATING HORSE C, ARNOLD Filed July 6 1937 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANICAL TOY IMITATING A CALCULATING HORSE Germany June 11, 1937 6 Claims. (Cl. 46-123) The invention relates to a mechanical toy, for instance imitating a horse and capable of solving by a mechanism simple arithmetical problems. With this object in view a spring motor, a calculating mechanism and-a movable leg of the horse cooperate. The solution of the problem is given by the horse by lifting and lowering the hoof.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows the toy in side elevation, the front side of the horse being removed to render the mechanism visible.

r Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows in side elevation the calculating mechanism partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a front view of Fig. 3.

. In the toy-figure a like a horse a spring motor I) is mounted which comprises a bridge c bent at an angle at both ends and open at the lower side. In this bridge a winding shaft d is journalled which carries a loosely rotatable drum g withtransverse bars 1'. The drum g has a square aperture h in the side wall, through which a key can be inserted and placed on the end of the shaft and turned to rotate the drum which has a tab 2, certain indicia relating to the problems to be solved, in the present instance. On the side wall of the drum the figures from 0 to 10 inclusive'are printed. The bridge 0 has in its side arms two apertures i and 1c, the central aperture 2' serving for the insertion of the key and that at k as window for the figures. A lever m controlled by a spring I serves to lock the rotatable drum 9 in the positions corresponding to the various problems to be solved. A handle 71 extending from lever 1 towards the outer side of the toy body a serves to actuate the lever. A disc q keyed on an extension of a lay shaft 0 of the driving mechanism has on its outer side-two catches r and s serve to act upon two fingers a extending from the upper end of the right hand leg t of the horse figure.

When the spring motor has been wound by inserting a key through aperture 1' to engage a square portion of the shaft d, Fig. 3, it is locked by a double-armed locking lever 11 with a handle 2 onits upper arm. A catch arm w with 9. lug a: at its free end for engaging the projection p of the driving disc 0, Fig. 1, is secured to the lower arm of the locking lever.

The operation of the toy is as follows:-

A person tells what problem the horse has to calculate.

55 In the present instance, it is supposed that the catches r', s and further a projection p. Theproblem is 1X 1. A key is inserted in the square aperture h of the drum through the circular aperture i, the lever m is depressed by means of handle n, and its upper arm releases the bar 1 it engages in the zero position of the drum. The drum is now turned clockwise until its numeral 1 appears in the window k, and the lever m is released to lock the drum in this position. The locking lever 12 is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 until the lug a: at the end of catch arm w has released the projection p and is arrested by a stop on the motor frame, Fig. 3. The driving disc q is now rotated by the spring motor in the direction of the arrow. Its catch 1' engages and depresses the lower finger u, on the horses thigh t, lifting the fore foot as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Before'the catch r releases the lower finger u the lug s engages theupperflnger u and holds the foot in elevated position until it moves past, and releases, the end of the upper finger. The hoof now descends bygravity,strikingoneblow. At the same time the projection 12 of the driving disc q engages below the nearest bar of the drum and turns the drum anti-clockwise until the numeral 0 appears in the window is and the tab 2 engages below the arm 20, returning the lug it into its active position to intercept the projection p when it arrives in the position shown in Fig. 1. When the drum rotates anti-clockwise its bars f .force aside the lever m by the inclined upper edge of its arm m as the spring of the motor is stronger than the spring Z.

It will be understood that for any problem the motor is always looked as soon as the driving disc a, by its {projection p, has returned the drum to zero position and the tab 2 has returned the arm w into its active position in which its lug an intercepts the projection p and stops the motor.

If the problem is for instance 5+5, the sum 10 is set by turning the drum 0 until the numeral 10 appears in the window is, the lever m is depressed again and projection 10 liberated by manipulating the looking lever 12 so that the driving mechanism runs down and rotates disc (1. The catches T 3 press downwards the fingers u of leg t, at the same time the drum is rotated by projection p, as it engages between the bars ,1. While the drum g is returned to its zero position, the driving disc q is allowed to, perform ten revolutions, and the leg of the horse is lifted and lowered ten times. As soon as the problem is solved, tap 2 operates the locking device '0. w, a: and locks'the motor. In the window 10 the figure zero now appears again, and the toy is ready to solveanother problem.

Instead of a horse any other figure may be selected as a toy and the several elements of the mechanism are then arranged and constructed accordingly. The locking of the driving mechanism may for instance be efiected by pressure exerted upon the horses tail. The drum 9 may have more figures printed on so that bigger problems can be solved by the horse.

I claim:

1. A mechanical toy, imitating for example a calculating horse, comprising in combination with the horse figure, a spring motor, an articulated leg of the horse adapted to be moved upwards and lowered, two fingers extending from the upper end of said leg, a driving disc adapted to be rotated from said spring motor, a catch projecting from said disc and adapted to act upon said fingers of the leg, a projection on said disc, a rotatable drum, transverse rods on said drum between which said projection of said disc engages, a tab projecting from said drum, a locking device oscillatably, mounted between said drum and said disc adapted to be actuated by said tab of the drum and to stop'the spring motor, said disc.

2. A toy as claimed in claim 1, comprising in combination with the drum consisting of side discs connected by transverse bars, figures painted on the outer side of said side discs, a bridge in which said drum is mounted, one side 01 said bridge covering the corresponding side disc of said drum and having a window registering with the figures of said disc.

3. A toy as specified in claim 1, in which the result to be calculated is set by the rotation of said drum, and said drum is returned by the driving disc until the numeral appears again behind the window.

4. A toy as specified in claim 1, in which the drum is loosely mounted on the winding shaft of the spring motor.

5. A toy as specified in claim 1, comprising in combination with the spring motor and the drum, a spring-controlled locking lever for said drum, pivotally mounted at one end on the casing of said spring motor, an upwardly projecting arm on said lever, said arm engaging between the transversebars c! said drum to stop said drum in the set position, and a handle on the lever for moving its Iarm beyond reach of the bars.

6. A toy as specified in claim 1, in which the drum has a square aperture in one of its side discs for the insertion of a setting key adapted to set said drum independently of the spring motor.

CARL ARNOLD. 

